


i just want to build you up ('til you're good as new)

by OscillateWildly



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-01-08 04:24:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21229766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OscillateWildly/pseuds/OscillateWildly
Summary: "Nicaise,” said Laurent. “He has such a nice name, he is only five.”-Laurent and Damen adopted the boy who has bonded with Laurent when he first came to the orphanage and never left his side. Past haven't been kind to some but future always have hope and there is happiness for the ones who deserve it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello,  
it's my first fanfic ever, i just wanted to have this AU and no one was writing it so! i tried to write it  
please note that english is not my first language, enjoy i guess  
(i'm super busy but i'll try to update)  
thank you for reading!

There was an awkwardness in the car that Damen believed Laurent and Nicaise have never shared before. Damen knew Nicaise as much as Laurent did because Laurent shared everything he knew about the little boy. 

Damen still remembers the night when Laurent started to talk about the new boy that arrived to the orphanage that day. They were in bed sharing their day with each other, it was their daily routine and maybe Laurent’s favorite time of the day. Damen was playing with his hair when Laurent told him about the children that he had met and examined, told him how some of them had trouble with getting in to his room because they were afraid of doctors. 

“There was this one boy, he had very cute curly hair almost like your hair. He was trying to tell others that there was nothing to be afraid of,” Laurent said, giggling. “You should have seen him Damen, he was also crying a little bit.” Laurent was smiling while holding Damen’s hand and playing with his nails. 

“But when he entered the room he took a deep breath and said ‘I’m not scared at all, I will show them there is nothing to be scared.’ You could see, he was scared as much as them but he was trying so hard to make everyone feel okay.” 

Damen stopped playing with Laurent’s hair and shifted so he could see Laurent’s face, he felt from his voice that Laurent cared about this a lot. He never took time to give details about the children because he cared about their privacy even if it was Damen. 

“You never talk about them like this, what happened to you today?” Damen said, teasing.

Laurent brought their hands to his lips and gave Damen’s hand a little kiss.

“I just like him,” Laurent said with sadness in his voice. “He is such a good child to be abandoned, all of them are.”

“What is his name? Can I ask for that much?” said Damen. He was really interested about Laurent’s work environment and wanted to know everything Laurent was willing to share.

“Nicaise,” said Laurent. “He has such a nice name, he is only five.”

Then Laurent slapped Damen’s chest to change the atmosphere.

“That’s all you are getting today. I’m exhausted, I believe I’ll sleep the moment I close my eyes. Do you have any plans or do I get to hug my brute tonight while sleeping?” said Laurent getting up, disappearing into the bathroom.

Since then Laurent talked about Nicaise almost every day, apparently after his examination, Nicaise asked for Laurent all the time because he liked how shiny his hair was. He visited Laurent’s room every time he had free time and Laurent appreciating his influence on the other children, let him stay in his room.

Now he was in the back seat, heading home. His new home. He was being quiet which was quite odd because Laurent mentioned how lively Nicaise was around him. 

Damen glared at the back seat and found Nicaise playing with his hoodie’s sleeves. He was obviously feeling nervous and Damen felt the responsibility to make him feel comfortable. Damen guessed his nervousness was caused by his presence because the little boy didn’t know him that much.

“I’ll stop by the bakery, remember the chocolate cupcake we had there Laurent? I think little guy would like that, what do you say?” said Damen looking at the boy from the rearview mirror.

Nicaise immediately looked at Laurent, questioning things in his head. 

“How do you know I like chocolate cupcake?” said Nicaise, sounding guarded.

“I remember you eating at least five of them on your birthday celebration last year, also Laurent talks about the things you like quite a lot. He is very fond of you.” said Damen smiling at Laurent.

Damen was right, Nicaise loved chocolate cupcakes. Children didn’t get to have special treats in the orphanage. Other than the things visitors got to them, they had very strict eating schedule. Only exception was on their birthday.

“But my birthday was last month and I ate as much as I can because I hate waiting for it every year. They are gone now though I don’t taste them in my mouth anymore. I didn’t eat anything after to keep them in my belly but Miss said I had to eat my dinner if I wanted to go and play with others, so I had to eat. I wanted to have cupcake taste in my belly that day not peas!” said Nicaise in the heat of the moment, then flushed when he heard Damen’s laugh.

“I think Damen wanted to get you some because we want to celebrate today. What do you think, do you want some?” said Laurent turning in his seat reaching for Nicaise’s hand.

“Why today? Is it your birthday? I thought you liked the ones that had strawberry in them.” said Nicaise moving closer to the front seats. Damen felt like they finally cracked his shell, he was starting to open up and have conversation with them.

“No, we decided to have a small welcoming party for you, we tried so hard to get you to live with us. Remember when we talked about it?” said Laurent softly. Damen noticed how gentle he was with Nicaise, like Nicaise was a timid rabbit that could run away with any sudden movement.

“Yes. I remember.” said Nicaise quietly. “I think I want some.” He looked Damen from the mirror for a second. Damen could still feel the shyness Nicaise had towards him.

It wasn’t like they didn’t know each other, they met a year ago, when they were having a little party for Nicaise’s 5th birthday. Laurent wanted him to be there, to meet Nicaise because apparently he was asking for Damen. Nicaise didn’t know Laurent had a boyfriend for almost two years until he saw Laurent’s ring and asked about it.

After that Damen came and went for the procedures of adoption. They’ve been seeing each other a lot lately but like Laurent told him, it was hard for Nicaise to open up to people. Damen smiled at the similarity between Laurent and Nicaise.

“Cupcake it is then, anything else you want little guy?” said Damen warmly. Nicaise shook his head.

“No. I think cupcake is enough.” said Nicaise moving to his previous spot and then started to look out of the window. He looked like he was already in a deep thought. 

“Your life will be better from now on, people like us will always have their happiness.” said Laurent looking at Damen walking into the bakery.

“People like us?” asked Nicaise, he was still so young to understand the deep meanings behind the words.

“Good people.” said Laurent, turning to him and smiling genuinely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again!  
i finally got time to work on this, now that we are all quarantined.  
i hope you like this chapter, i'll try to focus and write more frequently.
> 
> i hope you all are safe and taking care of yourself.  
enjoy!
> 
> (disclaimer: i don't have a proofreader and my first language is not english, so please excuse my errors.)

Nicaise fell asleep on the couch that he shared with Damen, chocolate stains around his mouth. He made himself as small as possible, buried in the blanket that he had found “super soft”. Laurent have been doing shopping for at least 4 months for him, there were still a lot of stuff he wanted to buy but he decided it was better if he asked Nicaise’s opinions on them. 

Laurent was on the floor between Nicaise and Damen, playing with his fingers. It was obvious that he was in deep thought. Not wanting to startle him, Damen said “Laurent,” slowly before placing his hand on Laurent’s shoulder. “It’s been a long day for all of us, let yourself rest. Alright?”

Laurent gave him one of his favorite smiles, almost teary. 

“You know what? I’m tired as hell but I couldn’t have imagined this…” he chuckled, he was having a hard time with words “this whole thing would feel this rewarding, like- like I don’t know, I feel very happy Damen.” 

Damen moved from where he was sitting, crouched down and gave Laurent a small kiss on the lips. He saw Laurent like this maybe two times before, one being on their wedding day, he knew how important this was to him and Damen would do anything to keep this smile on his face forever. 

Damen gave him one more kiss on the forehead before getting up, “Come on, let us put the little guy into bed, we wouldn’t want him to hurt his neck would we?” said Damen extending his hand to help Laurent get up.

Laurent inhaled and took Damen’s hand, “No, we wouldn’t.” then he squeezed Damen’s hand. It was just a gesture of appreciation, for Laurent actions were easier than words.

Damen slowly lifted Nicaise from the couch, trying so hard not to wake him up. Laurent was already in the room, bringing out the pajamas he had bought for him.

When Damen walked into the room and saw the rush Laurent was in, he took couple of seconds to watch him. He was getting the bed ready for Nicaise, fixing the pillows. Damen acted carefully while putting the boy on the bed, he looked so small, so fragile. He was still hugging the blanket. 

When Laurent reached to put the pajamas on Nicaise, Damen stopped him. “Let him sleep like this for this once, like I said it was a tiring day for all of us, it’s not worth waking him up.” 

“Yes, you are right.” said Laurent after thinking for a second. Then continued “There is still chocolate stains all around his face, he likes chocolate way too much.” he was smiling fondly.

“It looks like he has a sweet tooth like someone I know.” Damen said giving him a smug look. 

When Laurent extended his arm to him, wanting Damen near himself, Damen hugged him from behind and put his head to his favorite place, between Laurent’s head and shoulder. Gave a little kiss to him and nuzzled, liking the smell of his skin. 

Laurent hummed, closing his eyes “I was planning to surprise him with the room, didn’t think he would fall asleep.” 

“He will be waking up to it, I think that will be better than the one you planned.” said Damen slowly drawing himself from Laurent. “Let us go to bed, to be super honest with you, I am hardly keeping my eyes open and you being cuddly is not helping at all.” He removed himself from Laurent only holding his hand now. “Come on.”

Laurent gave one more squeeze to his hand and let Damen lead them out of Nicaise’s bedroom. 

“Goodnight, Nicaise.” said Laurent quietly, closing the door.

-

“Laurent?” said Nicaise, it was even quieter than a whisper. He was standing behind the bedroom door, looking inside from the little crack that Laurent left it open so he could hear Nicaise if he woke up. 

Damen was sleeping on the side where door was closer, he stirred, not sure why he woke up. When he looked up to see the clock, he saw Nicaise looking inside with frightened eyes. That gave Damen a jerk before he recognized the little boy. 

“Mm, what?” said Laurent half asleep. He probably felt bed shake a little with the jerk. 

Damen got up without saying anything, it was a cold night, he got goosebumps by the sudden heat change. He walked to Nicaise but he took a step back and let go of the door knob. That made Damen stop, he knew well that if his presence wasn’t wanted, pushing it further was no good. He went back to bed to wake Laurent up, Nicaise was probably looking for him in the first place. 

“Laurent.” said Damen, shaking him by the shoulder gently, trying not to scare him. 

Laurent immediately opened his eyes. He was used to being woken up by Damen like this. Damen put his hand to Laurent’s cheek so he would know everything was fine but he still felt how Laurent tensed up was the second he woke up.

“Hey, it’s okay. I just needed to wake you up because Nicaise is up and probably looking for you, he was a little frightened, I think you should check up on him.” said Damen stroking his hair.

Laurent closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Put his hand on Damen’s hand and patted it for him to let go. 

“Okay.” Laurent said with a sigh and got up, putting on his slippers, “I got to get used to waking up like this.” 

“He was by the door, looking inside. When I got up he kind of got scared I guess, I didn’t know what else to do. I thought me going after him wouldn’t make him less scared.” said Damen while Laurent put on his sweater, it was really cold.

“Come with me.” Laurent said. “It’s better if we went together.” Then he walked straight to Nicaise’s room. Damen followed him quietly. 

When they entered Nicaise’s room, he was sitting inside his bed, hiding his face with his knees. Laurent turned the lamp on so they could see each other. Damen stood by the door, gave Laurent a time with him. Laurent knew how to approach to him and he surely didn’t want to interfere.

“Nicaise, darling. It’s me Laurent, what’s wrong?” said Laurent, speaking very gently. 

Nicaise looked up and to Damen’s surprise he wasn’t crying. When he saw Laurent, he widened his eyes, like he couldn’t believe Laurent was really here.

“It was dark and I couldn’t see you, I saw him.” Nicaise said looking at Damen. “I thought you left.”

Laurent sat right next to him, hip to hip, making his presence known. 

“Oh, no darling. We were just sleeping, it’s past midnight. You fell asleep on the couch and Damen and I took you here, in to your room and put you to bed so you could sleep comfortably. Don’t you remember falling asleep on the couch?” asked Laurent, looking at Nicaise. 

Nicaise gave it a thought for a second and said, “Yes, I remember.” then glanced at Damen again. 

Damen never thought about Nicaise seeing him as a threat. They spent the night having fun, they even teamed up playing a board game.

Laurent noticed the tension and said, “Damen why won’t you join us in the bed? It’s okay, right Nicaise?”

“Yes, I couldn’t recognize him at first. He looked like a bed monster, like in the books.” said Nicaise. 

Laurent gave a small laugh at that and Damen smiled, relieved by the fact that it wasn’t him that Nicaise got scared of. Just his body.

He sat on the bed and said, “I’m not a monster buddy, I promise.” 

“I know.” said Nicaise, “They are scary but you are like a puppy. A big puppy.” 

Laurent couldn’t contain his laugh at that, making Damen laugh also. It looked like this made Nicaise feel more relaxed because he stopped playing with his hands and scooched closer to Laurent.

“My plan was to surprise you with this room but that didn’t go as planned.” said Laurent, putting his arm around Nicaise.

“I love my blanket.” said Nicaise, “It’s soft and warm and it smells nice.” then he cuddled it more and yawned.

“Then bring it with you and let’s all sleep in my room for tonight. What you say, hm?” said Laurent caressing Nicaise’s arm.

When Nicaise said okay and nodded, Damen got up and turned the hall lights up then walked into kitchen to get some water. 

Laurent and Nicaise were already in bed when he got to the room. Nicaise was slowly dozing off curled up against Laurent’s chest and Laurent was playing with his hair. When he saw Damen at the door he smiled.

Damen gave him a kiss on the forehead, Laurent was handling all of this perfectly.

“That went well, I suppose.” said Damen while getting into bed. He didn’t realize how cold he got until he felt the warmth of Laurent next to him.

“Yes, I suppose it did. Though leaving him alone in the first night wasn’t a wise idea.” said Laurent looking at Nicaise to make sure he fell asleep.

Damen hummed and closed his eyes for a bit, he was still bone-tired. When he opened them again Laurent was already asleep, his arm around Nicaise. Damen smiled as he closed his eyes slowly, the fact that he dreamed of this scene for years and now it was in front of him made him happy. He hugged Laurent from back and fell asleep too.


End file.
